“The belief is that there is willing to be bipartisanship,” he said during a statewide conference in Fort Smith involving 16 Community Action agencies.

The Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council in Fort Smith, the private, nonprofit Community Action agency for Crawford and Sebastian counties, is hosting the conference in an effort to sustain the program in the face of possible budget cuts.

Bradley said that while the Obama administration is hesitant to support the Community Action program, adding that the Reagan and both Bush administrations wanted to cut the program and open it up for competition, it has been building a bipartisan base in Congress for nearly three decades.

Community Action is a vital source for poverty-stricken communities, and Bradley expressed the importance of community action programs speaking up and fighting back, urging Congress to support the programs.

“Next year is the 50th anniversary of the war on poverty, and the values were valid then and they are more valid today,” Bradley said. “There is a demand for what we do. We want to get the support, recognition and funding that is necessary.”

“The hope is to make them see that they can work together and see that poverty is an important issue,” he said.

“Higher educational attainment is the only way to break the cycle of poverty,” Blondin said, adding that two-year colleges have broader enrollment methods and would provide more access to those in community action than that of a four-year university.

“The mission was of access, Blondin said, “but now, and this is the case for both educational institutions and community action programs is to provide outcome-based opportunities that shows value added.”

“The goal of both higher education and community action is transforming lives,” she said, adding that a general transition for a community action student to a two-year institution is less of a culture shock. “College culture is a middle-class culture, and we need to make it a place where everyone feels accepted.”

She pointed out that a two-year college would train students to acquire a skill set and secure employment and offer them a transition to a four-year institution, as well as a better chance at a healthier lifestyle.

“You will get a better quality of life just going to college,” she said. “Higher education is about finding ways to help students be successful.”

The C-SCDC, according to a news release, has deposited more than $160 million into communities throughout the state and have helped more than 270,000 Arkansans.

In 2012, C-SCDC helped more than 10,600 families, or about 22,000 people last year, according to the release. The agency assisted 6,946 families with utility assistance, provided over 6 million pounds of food, assisted 172 home buyers with down payment assistance, put 80 homeless families in stable housing and accumulated $9.9 million of in-kind donations.

It raised private funds to build a dental clinic and received a donation of a $2 million, 57,000-square-foot building that will house the River Valley Regional Food Bank.

The conference will be held through Friday at the Holiday Inn City Center in Fort Smith. Attendees will participate in meetings, workshops and panel discussions.